Forest Park prevails at Division 3 regional
The Forest Park Trojans won five individual events and two relays en route to claiming the MHSAA Division 3 Regional 48 boys championship Thursday in Baraga.
Kevin and Vic Giuliani led the way individually with a pair of victories. Kevin posted wins in the shot put (40 feet 8.25 inches) and the discus (136-7) and Vic was victorious in the 200 meters (25.24 seconds) and the high jump (5-8).
Gabe Quevedo won the pole vault title with a 10-foot vault.
The Trojans also topped the field in the 1,600 relay with Dietrich Rasner, William Hoffman, Joey Mainville and Max Mainville (3:48.17) and in the 3,200 relay with the Mainvilles, Hoffman and Izaiah Tarter (9:31.25).
The top four individuals and the top two relay finishers advanced to the U.P. Track and Field Finals on Saturday, May 31 at Kingsford High School.
Other Forest Park athletes who qualified included Rasner in the 100, Joey Mainville, Tarter and Max Mainville in the 800, Joey Mainville, Tarter and Hoffman in the 1,600, Tarter in the 3,200, Rasner in the 110 and 300 hurdles, Brody Starr in the pole vault and Hayden Smith in the pole vault.
With all these contributions, the Trojans compiled 63 points to win the regional trophy, followed by Stephenson with 46, Baraga with 23, L’Anse with 20, North Central with 12, North Dickinson with 11 and Republic-Michigamme with eight.
Lane Gorzinski led the way for the Jets with a first in the 100 and a second in the 200. Spencer Willa qualified with a runner-up finish in the shot put, as did Ben Stage with a fourth in the high jump.
North Dickinson qualifiers included Miles Lindholm in the 110 and 300 hurdles, Cody Conery in the 3,200 and Ricky Haney in the discus.
In the girls event, Stephenson earned the team crown with 61 points, followed by the Lady Trojans with 46 and the Nordics with 32. L’Anse placed fourth with 22 points, Carney-Nadeau finished fifth with 16, Baraga wound up sixth with nine and North Central placed seven with one point.
Forest Park junior Ava Fischer topped area individual event champions with victories in the 100 (16.92) and 300 hurdles (51.41).
North Dickinson earned the other two area individual titles with sophomore Aunika Lindholm winning the 3,200 (13:15.2) and junior Aubrey Applekamp capturing the high jump (4-10).
Other individual qualifiers from Forest Park included Fischer in the pole vault, Elsie Williams in the 100, 200, 400 and the long jump, Aubrey Waara-Shamion in the 100 and 200, Audrey Williams in the 800 and 1,600, Vienna Price in the 1,600, Bella Tarter in the 3,200, Haven Van Sickle in the 100 hurdles, Ella Gasperich in the discus and Marleigh Ketola in the pole vault.
Forest Park’s 1,600 relay squad of Lily Sarder, Price, Fischer and Audrey Williams advanced as well.
North Dickinson’s other U.P. Finals qualifiers included Alyson Steinbrecher in the 400, Lindholm in the 1,600, Raina Ledzian in the 3,200, Applekamp in the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles and Aspen Anderson in the pole vault.
The Nordics’ 3,200 relay team of Ledzian, Taylor Dennocenzo, Steinbrecher and Lindholm also moved on.
North Central’s U.P. Finals qualifier was freshman Natalie Willa in the shot put.